Famous Celebrities: Before and After

Before They Became Celebrities

FAMOUS CELEBRITIES

One of the original members of Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre, she played his mother in ‘Citizen Kane’.

Agnes Moorehead

She played Lawrence Harvey’s mother in ‘The Manchurian Candidate’, even though she was only three years older.

Angela Lansbury

One of her grandchildren thought she was cool because of a hit song by Kim Carnes in 1981.

Bette Davis

One of the fathers of early rock and roll, he was rescued from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Antoine ‘Fats’ Domino

He had a long time relationship with Jon Moss, drummer for Culture Club.

‘Boy’ George O’Dowd

By age 16, she had already appeared on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Glamour,Mademoiselle, Seventeen and Vogue.

Brooke Shields

This actor supplied his face to the mask worn by Michael Meyers in the ‘Halloween’ movies.

William Shatner

When he was 10, he met Jerry Lewis on the set of ‘The Colgate Comedy Hour’. He was alsowith actress Natalie Wood the night she mysteriously drowned.

Christopher Walken

He is one of three actors nominated for an Oscar for a performance staged in Japan. The othertwo are Marlon Brando (‘Teahouse of the August Moon’) and Red Buttons (‘Sayonara’)

Bill Murray

His movie was ‘Lost in Translation’

Long before Oprah Winfrey, this lady was the first African-American host of a national talk show.She also toured as a singer with Mahalia Jackson and Nat King Cole.

Della Reese

He doesn’t look it, but he was a World War II veteran with service medals from the Pacific Theatreof Operations and the liberation of the Philippine Islands.

Don Knotts

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts told him he would never make it as an actor. He is currently one of the most bankable actors in film history ($3.7 Billion-U.S., $9.6 Billion worldwide)

Gary Oldman

Was discovered as a go-go dancer in a cage at a Los Angeles night club. Her classmatesincluded Ben Stein and Sylvester Stallone.

Goldie Hawn

While giving a film lecture at the University of Southern California, his daughter noted thather famous father had two guilty pleasures, the films ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ and ‘Benji’.

Alfred Hitchcock

She named her daughter after the hit song ‘Chelsea Morning’ by Joni Mitchell.

Hilary Rodham Clinton

A long-time radio mainstay with Bob Hope, she donated over $1 Million to a college fund foraspiring actors. She was only six years older than her TV son-in-law, played by Buddy Ebsen.

Irene Ryan

Despite her ‘freestyle’ living in the early days, she is best known for playing royalty in six filmsto date, including the infamous ‘Caligula’.

Helen Mirren

He starred in four movies alongside comedian Richard Pryor. It would have been five, but Pryorlost out on the lead for ‘Blazing Saddles’ to Cleavon Little.

Gene Wilder

Originally with a doo-wop group called ‘The Scholars’, he later joined the New Christy Minstrels, thenBroke away with several other Minstrels to form the First Edition.

Kenny Rogers

One of the most celebrated actresses in English history, she had received six Academy AwardNominations, all after the age of 60. Not even Katherine Hepburn could match that.

Dame Judi Dench

A member of the cast of ‘Saturday Night Live for only one year in 1985, he became the first formerSNL member to be nominated for a Best Lead Actor Oscar.

Robert Downey Jr.

One of the most recognizable characters in TV history, he is a former Sergeant in the U.S. Army (oneof his troops was young Ken Berry, later of ‘F-Troop’ fame). His wife, Susan, is the sister of producer Michael Bay. He has stated his famous ‘hand gesture’ is a Jewish gesture from a rabbi to his congregation.

Leonard Nimoy

Scion to one of the richest families in the St. Louis, MO area, he was supposed to follow his father andbecome a pharmacist. He chose the stage and screen instead.

He would also record with both Alice Cooper and Michael Jackson.

Vincent Price

At the age of 11, she grew 4 inches and lost 20 pounds. Known as ‘the Black Widow’ for breaking up with boyfriends before they do it first, she became the first African-American woman to appear on the covers of SI’s Swimsuit issue, GQ and Victoria’s Secret.

Tyra Banks

When he was honored with a square at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the sand used to mixthe cement was shipped in from Iwo Jima, in honor of one of his best war movies.

John Wayne

He is known for playing lead characters in two successful film series, ‘X-Men’ and ‘Lord Of The Rings’.One of Margaret Thatcher’s last acts as England’s Prime Minister was to suggest him for knighthood.

Sir Ian Mckellen

His first film was the 1926 silent ‘Not To Be Trusted’ when he was 4. His career continued into the 21st

century by the time of his death in April, 2014.

Mickey Rooney

This man hosted the same network show for 29 years, 7 months, 21 days. Only Bob Barker lasted longer.

Johnny Carson

There was a reason his act was considered ‘insane’…he had been institutionalized for bi-polar disordertwice in his lifetime. One of his TV roles was the adult ‘son’ of Robin Williams, who idolized him.

Jonathan Winters

She is one of 12 actors, to date, who have a ‘Triple Crown’…an Oscar, a Tony and an Emmy.

Jessica Tandy

One of the few actors who has reprised a role for three different film series…Dr. Alex Cross, Lucius Fox and God.

Morgan Freeman

He has been portrayed in movies by Sir Anthony Hopkins and Frank Langella, the subject of twocritical songs by Stevie Wonder and the inspiration for the comic book villain Darkseid.

Richard M. Nixon

A former model, she was one of the first women stockbrokers on Wall Street…this would haunt her in later years.

Martha Stewart

Before fame as an actress and comedian, she was one of the first active female Marines,rising to the rank of staff sergeant by the time of her discharge from the military.

Beatrice ‘Bea’ Arthur

Playing piano since the age of four, at 11 he entered the Royal Academy of Music. Sadly, he dropped out to become a rock star.

Sir Elton John